Yesterday I read an article on visual-spatial learners. The opposite to visual-spatial is auditory-sequential.
There was one sentence about visual-spatial learners which, as a writer of step-by-step books, jumped out at me:
They are non-sequential, which means that they do not learn in the step-by-step manner in which most teachers teach.
Ok, so how many of my readers does this apply to? Are there some of you who just don’t get step-by-step books? Here we are, striving to produce clear sequential books, so that people can understand how to work embroidery, and there must be some of you that this just makes no (or little) sense to.
If you’re not auditory-sequential – as I clearly must be! – how do you learn embroidery?
I really hope that at least someone feels brave enough to reply to this. I would love to try to understand, because I might be doing a very good job of teaching some people, but obviously a good number just don’t get my message.
Hi Yvette
I’m a trained teacher and have found that the best way for me to teach and learn is monkey see, monkey do. You recently had a post on your website where you explained how you were going to fill in a leaf. Your explanation was incredible, followed by pictures make it so clear to me.
I find that if I sit next to someone and they do, I do, I learn the concept in no time at all.
Regards
Renee
Me, I’m a visual learner. doesn’t mean you don’t learn steps by steps – means you need to SEE someone do it as opposed to hearing them talk about doing it.
🙂 Linda
Thanks Renee. I find this to be such an interesting subject! Thank you for giving an example of something of mine that you have found clear. After reading what I did yesterday about visual-spatial learners, I was suddenly very worried that there was a whole slab of the market that wasn’t getting my message, however clear *I* thought it might be!
Thanks for your comment, Linda. So when I explain things on my blog, such as during the current stitch along, or when I put my step-by-steps with diagrams in my books, is that “seeing someone doing it” enough? Or do you find you need face-to-face teaching?
Hi Yvette. I need at least diagrams of a process. If it’s complicated (as picots appear to be), I need animation. Oh, how I love youtube for this (although no picot footage).
When I’m learning about a new concept (ie not exactly a new skill), I need to hear the information several times, preferably in different words, think about it for a while and then ask LOTS of questions. Drives people mad.
k
Thanks Kathy. If you’re in one of my classes, you can ask as many questions as you like!
This topic is fascinating!
I learn by doing. I went to school in Argentina and we recited our lessons all the time. I was completely amazed when I got back to the states and took a biology class with a lab. It was a revelation to me. I can read all the instructions there are, but I have to do it, and/or see it done in person. I’ve been putting off making an embroidered box for years… the embroidery is done, and I have all the supplies, but I haven’t seen it being done, and I just can’t get going on it.
Jane
Thanks Jane. Its an excellent reason for why embroidery classes will always be needed. Good luck with your box!
As a visual-spatial learner, I can learn from a sequential process IF there are diagrams, as in your stitch dictionaries. But, and this may be true for other visual learners, too: I find that I am “impatient” with sequence and have to discipline myself to follow the step-by-step insructions.
My preference (for learning) would be seeing/observing someone doing a stitch, whether f2f or in an online video tutorial.
I feel I’m a auditory-sequential leaner (I mentioned in just my last post how I preferred step to step books) but I find videos useful *in addition*. Some little trick not shown in books – it’s something about seeing the way the hand/needle/ground interact.
If I know there’s a step by step and a video for the same stitch, I *know* I can learn it.
PS Hey! Julia won! First woman prime minister! Now let’s see what happens…..
Hi Yvette. These are new concepts to me. I had a quick read of the article and then read the basic distinctions between auditory-squential and visual-spatial learners. Although bits of both lists apply to me mostly I seem to fall into the visual-spatial list.
I don’t learn very well from spoken instructions, I will ask for at least one repeat. I learn better from written instructions and better still from clear pictures. If I read something that I don’t full understand, the picture can help me get my head around it but if the picture is clear enough, I probably don’t need the text to make it clear. I read everything from start to finish before I begin and then refer, mostly to the pictures, as I work. I take in short bits of text, ie bullet points, well can be confussed by long wordy explanations. Having said that I need to know why as well as how to fully grasp something.
Hope this helps in some way.
Generally, it seems I am able to visualize the steps when I read them and work out the steps to a stitch. But occasionally I need a visual to help. It seems very simple now, but the colonial knot was a stitch where I needed the video of the stitch (I used Mary Corbet’s) to see how the thread was laid in a backwards “C” and then wrapped into a figure eight around the needle. While it seems like an easy stitch now, it took me quite some time to work it out until it became a natural sequence.
Rachel emailed me her comment as for some reason it wouldn’t post for her:
“Step-by-step diagrams usually work pretty well for me, and certainly watching someone doesn’t always help as much as I’d like.
I’d hate to work out any stitch just from text…”
It has been fascinating to read all your responses to this topic.
Coral Seas, I wonder how many of us read down those lists and think that we have aspects of both lists? I suspect that some people might tend very strongly in one direction, but that as some of you have suggested, many of us are more one than the other, but with a few characteristics from the other list.
I do want you all to know that you can ask questions of me ANY time you like! If you need clarification, I am happy to provide it!
I have been encouraged to find that many of you can learn from pictures, even if they are sequential. So it seems that apart from those who learn better from videos and face-to-face, the mix of words, diagrams and photos that my books have, probably cover the learning needs of most (though I do understand, not all).
If you ever come up with an idea for how I can improve my books, I would LOVE to hear it. Thank you all for your input.
Nobody in the posts mentioned that as I need:
I have to watch and copy the “teacher” – very difficult for me “to do” from a book or verbal instructions. But I need the book with illustrations, step-by-step so that I can repeat what I did in class or with a teacher. I am ADD and maybe that is what is in the way of following written instructions, but the hands on and followed by the visual text with illustrations works well.
Thank you so much for your blog! I greatly appreciate it and can’t wait to read it as soon as I can. It is addictive:)
Dora
Hi, I just read the article about the visual-spacial learning, and it describes me nearly exactly! I did not know that anyone else out there thought in pictures like I do. I have to turn everything into pictures in my head to understand it. I do not agree with the statement about not learning sequencially. I do have to see the whole before I begin so I can see where I am going, but I also need the step by step directions so that I can get there! So please do not give up writing your books. I need the pictures in order to learn to create the stitches correctly. It is very difficult for me to learn from a book of just text, because, as I mentioned, I have to translate the words on the page into a mental image so that I can understand it. This thought process also makes it difficult and very tiring to sit through a speech or demo that does not have any visuals with it. Thanks for the article. Keep up what you are doing!! I really appreciate the good visuals. Sandi
Thanks for your thoughts Sandi!